This Privacy Policy aims to give you information on how we collect and process your personal data including when you access this website, any data you provide when you complete our online form. It sets out your privacy rights and how the law protects you. We keep our Privacy Policy under regular review. This version was last updated on 5 October 2022.

About Us – The Data Controller

Finance Advice Helpline Limited trading as Direct Helpline is a claims management company that is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN:838876

We are the controller responsible for the personal data that we collect from you.  We are a registered data process on the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) Register: ZA449766

We are a limited company registered in England and Wales.  Our Company Registered number is: 11285085 and our registered address is Unit 10, Spring Villa Park, Spring Villa Road, Edgware, HA8 7EB

This notice applies to personal data collected through our website and through social media platforms (e.g. Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)

Except as set out below, we do not share, or sell, or disclose to a third party, any information collected through our website.

Contact details

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we process your data, you can contact us in the following ways:

Finance Advice Helpline Limited trading as Direct Helpline

Unit 10, Spring Villa Park, Spring Villa Road, Edgware, HA8 7EB

E-mail: [email protected]

The type of personal information we collect

Finance Advice Helpline Limited is known as the ‘Data Controller’ of the personal data you provide to us.

In the context of the law and this notice, ‘personal data’ is information that clearly identifies you as an individual or which could be used to identify you if combined with other information. Acting in any way on personal data is referred to as ‘processing’.

We only collect the personal data about you that is needed to proceed with a claims management service for you specifically about a personal injury claim. This includes information you voluntarily provide to us which is: name, address, email and telephone number. The information you submit will be used to contact you in accordance with the contact information provided when you submitted your enquiry. We may send you a text following receipt of your information that thanks you for your enquiry and that we will respond to your query as soon as possible. If we are unable to contact you by telephone we may send you up to 4 text messages providing you with our details and inviting you to contact us directly. You will have the option to opt out of receiving text messages by replying with the word ‘STOP’ at any time.

During the course of our interaction with you, you may volunteer some information that is considered sensitive personal data as defined in the General Data Protection Regulations 2018. Sensitive personal data is defined as data consisting of racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, biometric data, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation. We will ask for your explicit consent in order to record any details that would be considered sensitive personal data.

We will take appropriate measures to protect such sensitive data at all times. We only want to record such data if we consider it to be relevant to do so and provide a better service to you.

By using our website and service we process: Technical information about your hardware and the software you use to access our website and use our services, including your IP address, your browser type and version and your devices operating system.

Usage information, including the frequency you use our services, the pages of our website that you visit.

We also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data. Aggregated Data could be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data will not directly or indirectly identity you. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used only in accordance with this privacy policy.

This website is not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.

How is your personal data collected?

We use different methods to collect data form and about you including through:

Direct Interactions – where you provide us with your personal data when:

1. When you fill in one of our online forms to request further information about the personal injury service we offer
2. When you contact us directly by telephone or email

How we use your personal data

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. 

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:

(a) Your consent. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting 0800 029 3848 or [email protected]

(b) We have a legal obligation -this will include where we are asked to share your personal data with Regulatory bodies such as the Financial Conduct Authority, The Financial Ombudsman Service or the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Through certain actions when otherwise there is no contractual relationship between us, such as when you browse our website or ask us to provide you more information about our business, including our products and services, you provide your consent to us to process information that may be personal data.

Wherever possible, we aim to obtain your explicit consent to process this information, for example, we ask you to agree to our use of non-essential cookies when you access our website.

Information passed to a Third Party

We may introduce you to a one of our panel of solicitors.   We may, with your consent, pass your data to a panel solicitor so that they can advise you  about your personal injury claim.

Any data or information you provide to the panel solicitor will be handled in accordance with their own Privacy Policy.

Governing Law

The Direct Helpline website is hosted within the United Kingdom and is intended for and directed to users in the UK. By choosing to visit this website or otherwise provide information to Direct Helpline, you agree that any dispute over privacy or the terms contained in this Privacy Policy will be governed by the laws of the United Kingdom.

How we store your personal information

Your information is securely stored. Whenever Direct Helpline handles information that you enter on our website we take steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Our website has security measures in place to protect against the loss, modification, or alteration of the information under our control however, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information during transmission to us, and you do so at your own risk.

We will store your information for up to 6 years from ceasing to be out client.  This is enable us to refer to our records in the unlikely event that you want to lodge a complaint against us within 6 years.  

Your data protection rights

The UK GDPR requires us to tell you about your rights and our obligations to you in regard to the processing and control of your personal data.

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.

Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.

Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to object to processing – You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Please contact us at [email protected] or Finance Advice Helpline, Ground floor Spectra house, Spring Villa park, Spring Villa road, Edgware, HA87EB if you wish to make a request

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at [email protected] or Finance Advice Helpline, Ground floor Spectra house, Spring Villa park, Spring Villa road, Edgware, HA87EB. You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data. The ICO’s address: Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk